mopedad reviewed Pines: a novel by Blake Crouch OG
Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy
3 stars
Content warning Thematic spoilers
I enjoyed the first half more than the latter. It was very much scratching that “locals obfuscating possible malice through ignorance” itch that is common in noir and mystery (think Twin Peaks, The Wicker Man, U-Turn, etc.).
It quickly trades it for undisguised terror mixed with a lot of elements that remind me of Lost (time shenanigans, a literal monster in the woods, etc.). Unlike Lost, almost every mystery is answered at the end, but then we’re left with the unfortunate strain of dystopia fiction where the dangers of the world justify fascism and man-made terror, all the while preserving Americana. No thanks.
I’m interested in the sequels because the world was built up fantastically, but it’ll be interesting which themes from the first will remain with so much already revealed.
